Cultural Commission

CULTURAL COMMISSION MEETING MONDAY, MAY 18, 2026 AL LARSON PRAIRIE CENTER FOR THE ARTS / CONFERENCE ROOM A MINUTES MEMBERS PRESENT: Hobbs Behrouzi Linda Cain Marilyn Karr Michael Kozakis Bobbi Marchuk Marilyn Pande Bette Solomon Rob Ward MEMBERS ABSENT: Jon Cunningham Michael Mach Kevin Miller Michael Nejman STAFF PRESENT: Tiana Weiler, Director Eddie Sugarman, Assistant Director Alissa Brunet, Programming Manager STAFF ABSENT: None AUDIENCE: None CALL TO ORDER: Ms. Cain called the meeting to order at 6:33pm. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Ms. Marchuk motioned to approve the minutes from the Cultural Commission meeting of April 27, 2026. Ms. Pande seconded. A spelling correction was discussed. A voice vote took place to approve the minutes as corrected. All ayes. MOTION CARRIED. NEW BUSINESS: Ms. Weiler welcomed Mr. Behrouzi to the commission and introduced him to the rest of the commission members. 1. Commissioner Topics Ms. Solomon shared a newspaper article about New Horizons, a band camp program for adults, and suggested the addition of a similar program to the Prairie Center’s summer offerings. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: No report. DIRECTOR’S REPORT: Ms. Weiler reported the new Schaumburg Live! @ 90N event series will kick off this Wednesday, May 20. The series will be held on the third Wednesday of the month from May through August. The series will feature live music, food trucks, and lawn games. The Prairie Arts Festival will take place this Saturday and Sunday. Ms. Weiler confirmed that parking will be available at the School District 54 administration building, with police on site to direct traffic. Ms. Weiler reported that the Al Larson Cultural Center Foundation will hold a fundraiser event on June 20 featuring a performance by The Second City. The same evening, the Prairie Center will officially transition to its new name, the Al Larson Cultural Center, and a new logo will be unveiled. CONTINUING ITEMS: 1. Young Artists Programs Mr. Sugarman reported that the Schaumburg Choral Program’s Cantabile ensemble joined the Margaret Mead Junior High School Choir in a concert performance held at the school on Wednesday, April 29. Schaumburg Youth Orchestra held three concerts, between which all five ensembles were featured, on Sunday, May 3. Over 70 people auditioned for Schaumburg Summer Theatre’s 2026 production, High School Musical. Auditions and registration are now live for Young Artists Programs summer camps and fall sessions. On Saturday, May 16, Schaumburg Choral Artists performed at Our Saviour’s United Methodist Church. The choir will perform the same program in a free concert on Sunday, May 31 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Park Ridge beginning at 2 pm. 2. Summer Programs Mr. Sugarman reported that three Young Artists Summer Camp programs will take place this summer: the Schaumburg Sings Summer Camp, the Schaumburg Youth Jazz Orchestra Summer Intensive, and the Nutcracker Warm-Up Camp. Staff are preparing for Summer Breeze Concert series, which will once again take place on six Saturdays in July and August. On July 17, an ensemble made up of students from the Schaumburg Choral Program will perform with the band Foreigner at the Elk Grove outdoor concert series. Mr. Sugarman noted that this performance ties in with a department goal of boosting outreach efforts for the Young Artists Programs and asked the commission to share any additional outreach opportunities they may come across.  3. 2026-27 Programming Mr. Sugarman shared a list of confirmed bookings for the 2026-27 season and reported that he is working on two additional bookings that include disciplines outside of music, which is already heavily represented in the season lineup. Mr. Behrouzi asked if magicians have been presented at the Prairie Center, adding that magic has been trending in the Chicago area, with venues including The Hand & The Eye bringing in national talent and increasing the demand for these kinds of acts. Mr. Sugarman confirmed that illusionists are among the acts that have been presented at the Prairie Center and would be considered for future bookings as well. Mr. Sugarman asked for feedback on a potential event with Dr. Katherine Ramsland, an author and professor of forensic psychology, who is available for speaking engagements. For the proposed booking, Mr. Sugarman would add to Dr. Ramsland’s existing program by bringing in a key actor from the TV show Bones for discussion around the portrayal of serial killers in media. Commission members expressed support for looking further into this collaboration. Mr. Behrouzi suggested that, due to the nature of the program content, age restrictions be considered for event attendees. Mr. Sugarman advised that he would consult with the speaker to ensure appropriate audience content warnings / age recommendations would be in place for the event. Ms. Cain reported that she is looking into Morry Sochat & the Special 20s as open for the Lee Rocker concert next April. DEFERRALS: No report. COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE: No report. ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Kozakis motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:21 pm. Ms. Karr seconded. A voice vote was held. All ayes. MOTION CARRIED. NEXT MEETING: June 22, 2026. Respectfully Submitted, Alissa Brunet Programming Manager, Cultural Services Department